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Monday, 11 April 2011

Things on the internet...

Stunning quilt photo borrowed with kind permission from Nova of A Cuppa and a Catchup

Before I dive into this post, I just wanted to thank you for all your entries to win Jennifer's Paganelli's goodies in the last post. I'm delighted to announce that Amy of During Quiet Time loveliness is the commenter who will hopefully be orbited into dressmaking happiness by her win - Judith Norman of RickRack should soon be in touch to arrange getting your prize to you. I can't wait to see any things you might make from the book. For the rest of us, should you be interested, you can purchase the entire package that was offered for the giveaway here, or if you would just like the book, then Girl's World can be found on Amazon here.

I've seen so many fantastic things on my travels around the Internet recently that I thought I'd start the week with a round-up post sharing some of them with you (I say 'start the week' but actually this post is being written from my infirmary over the weekend. Struck down with tonsillitis and a fever, I thought I'd be fiendishly cunning and pre-write some posts now, so that, once recovered, the Easter holidays will be freed up. I have been told I have been a little delirious though, so please make allowances when reading.

I'd already fallen in love with Nova's Magical Lands quilt made from Saffron Craig fabrics, but then she posted a tutorial on the way that she'd pieced together her strip quilt and I was wowed all over again! This has to be the quickest, most time efficient way to make a quilt and involves piecing it together directly onto the batting and backing fabric. You can find the full low-down on the cleverness here. I love the way that Nova has photographed this quilt too, with the forest of trees on the quilt being echoed in the real-life backdrop.

While we're on the subject of quilting, Angela, from Cut to Pieces has written a fantastic tutorial on making a set in circle, that I hope I'll find an opportunity to make use of at some point soon. It's odd how much I've always loathed maths, but the moment it's within a sewing context it all feels instantly understandable...and even exciting. You can find the maths, inspiration and happily set-in circle over here.

At my friend Jenny's house earlier this week I nearly passed out at the loveliness of a patchwork quilt that she'd made for her daughter. The weight and puffiness of it were just perfect and it apparently made use of a very thin Ikea quilt, rather than batting (yes, Pipany, the delight in knowing what produced this effect was immeasurable, and Jenny, if you're reading, it did take all my restraint not to invade your privacy by whipping my camera out and asking to photograph it).

Created by The Materialists from fabric and yarn

Can you believe that the piece above is actually created using a mixture of crochet, knitting, quilting and applique? When I first saw it, it looked so similar to the original (Klimt's 'The Kiss') that it didn't quite register that this was a version rendered in fabric and yarn. It was created by a large amateur knitting group called The Materialistics based in South Tyneside, England. You can read more about the group here on The Customs House website. At the moment I'm really enjoying quilting that depicts scenes - you can find a few other things that I've fallen in love with recently on my Pinterest boards here. And just in case you hadn't already discovered it, Pinterest is a place where you can 'pin' things you've seen on your way around the Internet and curate your own mini art gallery of personal inspiration and even more thrillingly, discover the pin boards created by others (thanks to Amy and Kate for introducing me to it).

Have you happened across Adore Vintage? Their stock is every-changing and of the one-off variety. I fell in love with the now-sold dress, above. I'm not sure I could imagine anything more perfect. I'd like to have it hanging from the picture rail in our bedroom. I'd also like to wear it to garden parties on summer evenings and then try and fit myself and the dress into the passenger seat of a pistachio coloured convertible Nissan Figaro for the journey home.

The Purl Bee have a wonderful and recently updated tutorial for making a tie for any men you might find nearby. My own husband has never worn a tie, but my father does and I love the idea of making him one of these at some point. Purl have used beautiful Liberty fabrics, making them extra specially lovely to look at.

For those who feel that they have a tendency to 'play it safe' with their dressmaking, you may be as awe-struck as I was to find that Susan of Crafterhours is pushing new frontiers with her avant garde approach to upcycling. You can find full details of how to make your child a puffer jacket out of just eight disposable nappies here. I'm guessing that with a little imagination and a few more nappies this is a pattern that could easily be graded up for adult sizes. Many years ago I worked for Felix Dennis, who was described to me by my direct boss as 'a wonderful maverick'. It's so often said that as one door closes another opens and I've realised that it's true because those Crafterhours girls have stepped straight into Felix's shoes.*

And finally, sewing aside, I have fallen hopelessly in love with these clogs from Boden. I visit and drool over them frequently. Sometimes I even put them in and out of my virtual shopping basket. They look so outrageously wearable and I think they would go with every single thing in my entire wardrobe. Apart from the peachy number above which, like the clogs, I only own in my imagination. When we lived in London I had some clogs very similar to this, but without the ankle strap at the back. Unfortunately, one of them ended up on the tube line when I was on my way to work one day. I don't remember walking in a reckless or jaunty way, but to my horror, one of them escaped from my foot and hurtled itself on to the tube line. Luckily, at the time we lived in a flat that was almost on top of the tube station, so it was only a short hop home to pick up a fresh pair and, delightfully, it was perhaps the only occasion in our year of living there when the resident beggars refrained from asking me for money (I'd consoled myself that I was temporarily working the Cinderella look...but perhaps not as I'm sure they'd have asked her for a little something). Who knows what adventures this Boden pair could hold.... so yes, I leave you on something of a cliff-hanger. The will she/won't she clog-buying dilemma. Breathe, readers, I promise to keep you updated.

Florence x

*This analogy is a slightly flawed one: I don't actually work for Adrianna and Susan and as far as I know, unlike Felix Dennis, neither of the Crafterhours girls has ever been incarcerated. But you get my drift: we're talking about movers and shakers.

Buy the Boden clogs - they're lovely. I have often played the in the virtual basket game - that made me laugh : ) Boden often sell out of the lovely things and their shoes are beautiful.Thanks for the link to the tie tutorial, I will make one of those for lovely hubby - he might feel better about my sewing addiction : )

Oh there is so much I love here Florence! The strip quilt process is amazing and I can't believe I hadn't thought of it myself, apart from the fact that my brain is frequently on strike by the time it comes to such things.

I LOVE the tie pattern and have been desperate to make Davey some for ages - maybe this holiday?

And of course I need more details and pictures of the lofty quilt your friend made please!!

I wonder whether shops have any monitoring on how frequently things are put in and out of the virtual basket...

I'm so pleased, Amy, I hope it's fantastic.

Pipany - I definitely think you should take a break and fit in some you/Davey sewing this holiday. And, yes, the strip piecing thing is so obvious...but I literally would never have thought of it myself.

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Hello, my name is Florence. I'm 36, a mummy of two, obsessive stitcher and occasional pattern designer. I wake in the night with a mind whirring over sewing construction techniques and daydream away hours pondering fabrics choices. This blog is a record of all these things. I hope you enjoy reading.